Persian Pickle

Check out CAS-ual Fridays

   Who knew that tomorrow is International Literacy Day?!  I just had to make something for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge in honor of our family's passion for reading.  Seems like homeschoolers, libraries, and books of all kinds just naturally go together!  When they were little, my kids called the library the "bookstore."  [which occasionally caused the grownups to have to steer them back to the paying checkout counter!]

   I just finished a story that inspired my entry into this week's challenge, and I have to say I learned a lot from reading it!  I am not a quilter, but I was touched by the lovely analogy stitched by Sandra Dallas in her novel, The Persian Pickle Club.  Did you know that another name for paisley design is Persian Pickle?  I enjoyed the story very much, and thought it would be perfect for the "Black and White and Read All Over" challenge.

  
   Inspired by the novel's novice quilter to make a simple 9 Patch design to get started and using the splash of red in a Persian Pickle pattern, I had a blast making my own paper quilt square.  Everyone in the 'Pickle' had a piece of the precious, store-bought, exotic paisley fabric and it stood out in all their individual quilts as bright and unique.  
   The Hero Arts clear stamp set Exotic Decor  was just the thing to produce my idea.  I embossed, inked, and used black, white, and red cardstocks to make my patches, and arranged them to my liking to mount on a square...akin to quilting--or so I imagined as I was crafting.  I think my 1-inch craft punch and adhesive are a little easier than sewing though!  Missing from the experience was the hen clucking--as the men folk described their wives in the Pickle--but I did put some birds into my quilt!  
   My mom's birthday is coming up, and this will make a lovely card since she's just getting into quilting herself.